Devil Lords of the Nine Hells
The Devil Lords of Hell''' 'plant their seeds of promise. Exchanging the purity of one’s soul to grant them power and their deepest desires. Methodically and thought through, they further their goals behind the curtains and in shadows, careful to not draw full attention to their ultimate goals. Asmodeus, Overlord of Hell ''Alignment: Lawful Evil / Power Without Limit '' The cunning, silver tongue and strategic mind of Asmodeus the Overlord of Hell is unmatched, and many of the other gods, good and evil grudgingly admit it so. Asmodeus sits upon his throne in the 9th floor of hell, where he lords over the other rulers of hell. His rules are what keeps the hells functioning and ordered. Asmodeus was once brought to court before his godhood brethren to answer for crimes against them and mortal life when it was still young in the multiverse. He survived the trial using nothing but his cunning words and wit. They were forced to release him and continue his exploits of gathering souls to put them to good use. ''“I literally sit beneath eight levels of scheming, ambitious entities that represent primal law suffused with evil. The path from that realm leads to the infinite pits of chaos and evil. Now tell me again how you and your ilk are the victims in this eternal struggle.” ''–Asmodeus addressing the celestial jury, from ''The Trial of Asmodeus Asmodeus sits with what some believe to be the most powerful artifact in creation, the Ruby Rod. It grants Asmodeus and his infernal underlings the right to enter into contracts and pacts into mortals for their souls but unleashes an inescapable punishment upon any devil that breaches such a contract. The Overlord of Hell believes the multiverse should work on a strict and structured law, and this was his reasoning for the creation of the rod. Zariel, Matriarch of Genocide Alignment: Lawful Evil / Lady of Ruin '' Zariel was once an angel that fought in the Age of Dragons, but was banished to hell for her cosmic crime of being the lover of Azazel, who first consorted the Nephilim. She and her lover were separated when they were banished to the hells, literally thrown down the pit. Thrusted into the middle of a battle between devil and demon, she fought a battle on two fronts against the fiends. She was later found by a legion of bone devils sent by Asmodeus, they recovered her unconscious body from underneath the small mountain of her slain foes. He let her recover and sent her to the first layer of hell Avernus. She slew the previous lord of that layer, Bel, and laid ruin to Avernus. She is no politician, but instead a warrior whose talents are being put to use in the hells. She does not enter contracts or pacts with mortals, but instead stands at the very front of the Blood War, the war between devils and demons. Those that worship the Matriarch of Genocide are mortals that have been wrongfully punished or accused of unworthy crimes. Dispater, the Iron Duke ''Alignment: Lawful Evil / The Greatest Game '' Dispater trusts no one and dislikes surprises. Since Zariel’s rise to power, he has taken to dwelling in the libraries of his iron palace. He puts his followers to work as a network of spies and informants to watch over any potential threat that might dethrone him. Dispater’s trade in souls is concerned mainly with the acquisition of secrets and ancient lore far past his view. His minions scour the multiverse in search of any lost knowledge that could help turn powerful mortals to his service. An archmage might be searching for a powerful spell, and in exchange for fealty, be given that spell by Dispater. Dispater knows the value of a secret. To the Iron Duke, all of reality is a contest played out under hidden rules. If he can discover the real nature and laws that make up the multiverse, he can learn to play them. To one day ascend to the ruby throne of hell and bring the multiverse under his rule. Mammon, Financier of the Hells ''Alignment: Lawful Evil / Everything Has A Price '' Mammon is the foremost merchant and miser of the Nine Hells and perhaps the entire multiverse, being the richest entity in existence. All the souls bargained for by the devils of hell first come through him, allocating them to the proper claimant, keeping any that aren’t claimed for himself. Mammon measures everything in its value as an asset to him, such as how much profit he can make or how much is it worth in gold. He cares only for what material gain his contracts and followers can provide him with. There are few who believe that the entire basis of halfling society is constructed by his hand, and that they secretly pay him tribute. Mammon’s ultimate goal is to acquire all the physical wealth in the multiverse, and spends every waking moment scheming how to achieve it. And so mortals that tarry or waste his time when making a deal or writing up a contract incur his wrath where he could be spending assets and time in more profitable individuals. Fierna and Belial, the Duel Lords ''Alignment: Lawful Evil / Partners in Evil '' Some would describe the relationship of Fierna and Belial as mother and son, daughter and father, wife and husband or ruler and consort, but none of those comparisons can capture the true nature of their paradoxical partnership. The two both love and hate one another, always scheming to overthrow the other to usurp absolute power, but all will seem fine in the pleasure chambers. Fierna is charismatic and sways mortals to her will. A brilliant manipulator, matched only by Asmodeus himself, capable of filling mortal and immortal hearts with whatever emotion she chooses to evoke. Belial meanwhile, doesn’t attempt to charm or convince those to his side, instead uses forceful actions through coded law or other means. The followers of the two are often individuals or couples that seek to manipulate others or attain positions of power through malicious play. Glasya, Princess of Hell ''Alignment: Lawful Evil / Rebellious Torturer '' Malbolge is the prison of the Nine Hells, and on this layer dwells its most infamous criminal and torturer. Glasya the daughter of Asmodeus oversees the punishment of the damned and devils that stray from their assigned tasks. But there is more to the daughter of evil than meets the eye. Of all the Lords of Hell, Glasya is the most unpredictable. She flaunts the rules of tradition and bends the law without breaking it. She delights in shocking others by springing gambits that catch them unaware. She orchestrated an entire crime syndicate within the nine hells using her followers to purchase souls on her behalf while paying for them with what was essentially useless coin. Mortals who go into conflict with an audacious or unconventional plan catch her attention. Most of her followers are tricksters, charlatans and cretins with wild ambitions with no plan to get there. Baalzebul, the Lord of Flies ''Alignment: Lawful Evil / Prince of Redemption '' Baalzebul once sought to usurp the ruby throne out from under Asmodeus’s nose through deceit and pacts made among other powerful archdevils and lords. But nobody deceives the devil. Baalzebul was found out and was sentenced to the most disgraceful of punishments. Whenever he would lie, his form would polymorph into a vile slug-like creature. And secondly, every deal made with Baalzebul shall end in disaster for the other party, discouraging all to make deals with him and get involved in his schemes. Baalzebul now works tirelessly for redemption. Through his servants, he seeks out those wanting to find redemption as he does in the eyes of ordered evil. Mephistopheles, Keeper of Souls ''Alignment: Lawful Evil / Lord Of No Mercy Mephistopheles is focused and cruel, hates being drawn away from his research into forgotten arcane arts. His quote for souls is among some of the lowest in the hells, but his standards are very high when it comes to enticing mortals into pacts and contracts. His research includes experiments on souls, new arcane arts and items. He only values mortals which could provide him assistance or substance to his research, and these would include powerful mages and sages from all across the multiverse. Though he may seem charming at first, his standards of work are high and if you don’t perform the way he sees it, punishment is in order, even execution. Mephistopheles is in charge of the security of hell, making sure that unwanted guests don’t pop up without reason or payment. Azazel, Angel of Vengeance ''Alignment: Lawful Evil / Hell's Assassin '' Azazel is no lord of the hells, but shares the same power as his banished lover, Zariel, as both are outcasted archangels. Unlike Zariel’s rise to lordship within the hells, Azazel now acts as the personal attack dog and assassin of Asmodeus himself. While Zariel fights in the Blood War, Azazel is stuck doing the Overlord of Hell’s bidding. Asmodeus keeps Azazel on a chain of molten iron, constantly burning and only releasing him when sent out on a mission to enforce the will of Asmodeus on an archduke or lord of hell. A millennium of this torment has twisted Azazel into a husk of his former divine glory. Followers of Azazel are ones that seek vengeance on those that have wronged them, to full and gory completion.